Synthetic Modular Flooring Apparatus

ABSTRACT

A modular tile is disclosed having a substantially rigid top surface supported above a ground surface by an understructure. The rigid top surface is defined by sidewalls forming an outer perimeter and four corners. Four modular tiles can be disposed adjacent one another at common adjoining corners. A bottom side of each of the four modular tiles has at least first and second cavities disposed about the corner of the tile. One of two bridge connectors is disposed about the common adjoining corners of the plurality of four modular tiles.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The present technology relates to synthetic flooring and moreparticularly to devices and methods for absorbing extreme loads placedon a top surface of a modular synthetic floor tile.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND RELATED ART

Modular floors have been used for numerous years in connection withimproved safety, appearance, and function. In recent years, modularflooring products have been used for these purposes and more frequentlyused in connection with industrial activities. Many of these flooringproducts, however, are heavy, difficult to assemble and transport.Specifically, in order for modular flooring products to withstand therigors of heavy, industrial activity, such flooring products have beenconstructed of metal. Synthetic flooring products have been constructedof material that is too soft or pliable to withstand the loadsassociated with heavy, industrial activity. Moreover, the means ofassembling, connecting, and transporting the metal modular floors hasrequired specialized equipment and/or required a significant amount oftime and manpower. It is therefore beneficial to provide an improvedmodular flooring assembly with improved technology for withstandingextreme loads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present technology will become more fully apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings merely depictexemplary aspects of the present technology, they are therefore not tobe considered limiting of its scope. It will be readily appreciated thatthe components of the present technology, as generally described andillustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in awide variety of different configurations. Nonetheless, the technologywill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a synthetic modular floor tile inaccordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the synthetic modular floor tile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the synthetic modular floor tile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the synthetic modular floor tile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the corner of the syntheticmodular floor tile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged top view of the corner of the synthetic modularfloor tile of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of an assembly of four syntheticmodular floor tiles coupled to a hoist in accordance with one aspect ofthe technology;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of three modular floor tiles joined ata common corner with a bridge connector in accordance with one aspect ofthe technology;

FIG. 9 is a top view of four modular floor tiles joined at a commoncorner showing a top portion of a bridge connector in accordance withone aspect of the technology;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of four modular floor tiles joined at a commoncorner showing a bottom portion of a bridge connector in accordance withone aspect of the technology;

FIG. 11 is a side view of a bridge connector coupling tiles together inaccordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of a bridge connector coupling tilestogether in accordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of a bridge connector couplingtiles together in accordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a bridge connector in accordance with oneaspect of the technology; and

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of the bridge connector of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of exemplary aspects of thetechnology makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which form apart hereof and in which are shown, by way of illustration, exemplaryaspects in which the technology may be practiced. While these exemplaryaspects are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled inthe art to practice the technology, it should be understood that otheraspects may be realized and that various changes to the technology maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the presenttechnology. Thus, the following more detailed description of the aspectsof the present technology is not intended to limit the scope of thetechnology, as claimed, but is presented for purposes of illustrationonly and not limitation to describe the features and characteristics ofthe present technology and to sufficiently enable one skilled in the artto practice the technology. Accordingly, the scope of the presenttechnology is to be defined solely by the appended claims.

The following detailed description and exemplary aspects of thetechnology will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein the elements and features of the technology aredesignated by numerals throughout.

Generally speaking, the present technology describes an improved modularfloor tile 20 having a top surface 30 comprising a substantiallyrectangular rigid top surface supported above a ground surface by anunderstructure 50, wherein the rectangular rigid top surface is definedby sidewalls 21 forming an outer perimeter and four corners 22. Each ofthe corners 22 of the tile 20 comprises at least two T-shaped apertures40 therein. A longitudinal axis 41 a of one of the two T-shapedapertures 40 is normal to a longitudinal axis 41 b of the other T-shapedaperture 40. The T-shaped apertures 40 provide a mechanism forinstallation and removal of bridge connectors used to connect adjacenttiles together. In addition, the present technology comprises aplurality of four modular tiles 20 disposed adjacent one another atcommon adjoining corners. A bottom side of each of the four modulartiles 20 comprises at least first 51 and second 52 cavities disposedabout the corner 22 of the tile 20. A first bridge connector 200 isdisposed about the common adjoining corners of the plurality of fourmodular tiles 20, the bridge connector 200 comprises a top plate 210coupled to a bottom plate 240 wherein the top plate 210 is disposedabout a top surface 30 of the tile 20 and the bottom plate 240 isdisposed about a bottom surface of the tile 20. The bottom plate 240comprises four posts, wherein each post is configured to mate with atleast one of the two cavities 51, 52 disposed about the corner 22 of thetile 20. A second bridge connector 100 is also disposed about commonadjoining corners of the plurality of four modular tiles 20. The modulartiles discussed herein may be used as a primary floor or as a sub-floorsupporting other flooring arrangements on top.

Both the bridge connectors 100, 200 and the modular tiles 20 can be madefrom a durable plastic or similar synthetic material, including but notlimited to any plastic, rubber, foam, concrete, epoxy, fiberglass, orother synthetic or composite material. Furthermore, both the bridgeconnectors 100, 200 and the modular tiles 20 can be formed using anymanufacturing process familiar to one of skill in the art for formingplastic, synthetic and/or composite parts, including but not limited toinjection-molding, compression-molding, thermoforming, extrusion,casting, resin impregnation or transfer-molding processes, etc. Theplastic or synthetic material can be configured with a pre-determinedmodulus of elasticity and coefficient of thermal expansion to controlthe impact absorption and thermal expansion characteristics of eachindividual floor tile and for the overall flooring system. In oneaspect, moreover, the synthetic material can include one or morerecycled components which can reduce costs and result in a moreenvironmentally-benign flooring system.

With specific reference now to FIGS. 1 through 3, an improved modularfloor tile 20 having a substantially flat top surface 30 is disclosed.The tile 20 comprises sidewalls 21 forming an outer perimeter about thetile 20. In one aspect of the invention, the sidewalls 21 extend from atop 30 of the tile 20 to the ground surface upon which it is intended tolay. A side connection interface comprises a tab 24 projecting outwardsfrom a sidewall 21 of the tile 20 and which is next to a complimentarycut-out 25 extending inward from the same sidewall 21. The tab 24 andcut-out 25 can together form a pair of puzzle pieces that interconnectin a non-rigid fashion with a matching pair of puzzle pieces formed intoadjacent tiles. Moreover, the interconnecting puzzle pieces can be sizedso that the tab 24 fits loosely within the cut-out 25 so as to notrestrict lateral movement once the modular sub-flooring system has beenassembled.

A plurality of holes 31 are disposed about the flat top surface 30. Theholes 31 are disposed near the corner 22 of the tile 20 and are used fordrainage of fluids about the top surface 30 as well as fortransportation of a tile assembly. Holes 31 may also function asanchoring holes for spikes to secure the flooring to the ground. Eachcorner 22 of the tile 20 comprises a connection system for coupling abridge connector. Different bridge connectors may be used on the cornerconnector system and are discussed in greater detail below. Each cornerconnector system comprises at least two T-shaped apertures 40 therein. Alongitudinal axis 41 a of one of the two T-shaped apertures 40 is normalto a longitudinal axis 41 b of the other T-shaped aperture 40. TheT-shaped apertures 40 provide a mechanism for installation and removalof bridge connectors used to connect adjacent tiles together. As usedherein, the “top” of the T-shaped aperture 40 refers to the top of the“T” element which is the side adjacent the outer side wall 21 of thetile 20. In one aspect of the technology, the top portion 42 a of afirst one of the at least two T-shaped apertures 40 is substantiallyparallel to a first side 26 a of a first corner of the tile 20 and a topportion 42 b of the second T-shaped aperture 40 is substantiallyparallel to a second side 26 b of the first corner. In one aspect of theinvention, the corner 22 of the tile 20 has a continuous perimeter fromthe first side 26 a to the second side 26 b.

In accordance with one aspect of the technology, a top of the T-shapedapertures 40 comprises a face 43 tapering away from the outer perimeter27 and sidewalls 26 a, 26 b positioned normal to the top surface 30 ofthe tile 20. A bottom 44 of the T-shaped apertures 40 comprises a face45 tapering towards the outer perimeter 27. The bottom 44 has a firstsidewall 44 a tapered towards a second sidewall 44 b wherein the secondsidewall 44 b is tapered towards the first sidewall 44 a. Moreover, thebottom 44 of the T-shaped aperture 40 has a bottom wall 44 c that taperstowards the outer perimeter 27 of the tile 20. The tapered faces 44 a,44 b, 44 c of the bottom 44 of the T-shaped aperture 40 tapers from thetop surface 30 of the modular tile 20 to below top surface 30. A topportion 45 of the bottom 44 of the T-shaped aperture 40 also taperstowards the outer perimeter 27. The face of tapered top portion 45tapers from the top surface 30 to below a top of the corner sidewall 28.An upper surface of a top 42 of the T-shaped aperture 40 is disposed atthe same elevation as the corner sidewall 28. The bottom 44 of theT-shaped aperture 40 is disposed at the same elevation as the topsurface 30 of the tile 20. In one aspect of the invention, the top 42 ofthe T-shaped aperture 40 is disposed at an elevation below the bottom 44of the aperture 40. The tapered faces of the aperture facilitateplacement and removal of bridge connectors. The tapered faces of theT-shaped aperture terminate in a ledge defining a tab. The tab isconfigured to mate with the end of a clip on a bridge connector. Inaccordance with one aspect of the invention, an L-shaped aperture 46 isdisposed adjacent to and between the T-shaped apertures 40. An inneredge 47 of the L-shaped aperture 46 is disposed at an elevation belowthe rigid top surface 30 of the tile 20. The rigid top surface 30 of thetile 20 tapers downward towards the inner edge 47 of the L-shapedaperture 46 at location 48.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, as noted above, the corner connectionsystems are intended to facilitate placement of one or more types ofbridge connectors. In accordance with one aspect of the technology, abridge connector 100 is disclosed comprising a center body 101 and arms102 of the bridge connector 100, and upwardly-facing tip bearingsurfaces 103 located near the tips of each of a pair of fingers 104 thattogether form an end clip. The end clips extend downwardly from the endsof each of the four arms 102 that project radially outward from thecenter body 101 of the bridge connector 100. A set of L-shaped skirts105 can extend downwardly from the center body 101 having a cornerradius matching the radius of the L-shaped aperture 46, and with avertical notch 106 separating the skirts 105 and the fingers 104. Theskirts 105 comprise a plurality of posts 106 located on either end ofthe L-shaped skirt 105 and function to displace debris or othermaterials that may have accumulated in the L-shaped pocket prior toinstallation of the skirt 105. The length of the body of the skirt 105is less than the depth of the L-shaped aperture 46.

Two or more floor tiles 20 can be aligned adjacent to each other (eitherby being placed next to each other or by using an alignmentinterconnection) so that the structural features of the respectiveconnection interfaces formed into the corners 22 of each floor tile 20are substantially aligned with each other. Thus, adjacent T-shapedapertures 40 line up together to form adjacent holes configured toreceive adjacent fingers 104 of the bridge connector 100. Likewise, theL-shaped-apertures 46 line up together to form adjacent holes configuredto receive the skirts 105 extending downwardly from either side of thecentral body 101 of the bridge connector 100. Two fingers 104 from onearm 102 and two skirts 105 of a bridge connector 100 can then beinserted, respectively, into the combined adjacent T-shaped apertures 40and adjacent L-shaped apertures 46, so that the complimentary engagementsurfaces of the tile connection interface are coupled together. In oneaspect, the bridge connector 100 can be made from a moderately bendableor flexible synthetic material that permits each arm 102 of the bridgeconnector 100 to flex slightly. This flexibility can allow the bridginginterconnection to restrain the relative vertical movement between thesub-floor tiles in a non-rigid manner while continuing to maintain asubstantially smooth top surface alignment across adjacent edges anddespite any variations in the angular orientation or tilt of theindividual sub-floor tiles.

Referring now generally to FIG. 4, the underside 50 of the floor tile 20can include a plurality of intersecting support ribs 53 that are coupledto or integrally-formed with the underside surface 50 that provides thetop surface of the floor tile 20. The bottom edges of the support ribs53 can thus define the bottom plane of the floor tile 20, and can belocated over both prepared and unprepared ground surfaces. In oneaspect, a prepared ground surface can comprise a smoothed or flattenedsurface of dirt, grass, clay, sand or loose aggregate, etc., which canshift upwards into the cavities 54 formed by the intersecting supportribs 53 to further surround and grip the lower sides of the support ribs53. In another aspect, the prepared ground surface can comprisepre-existing concrete or asphalt slabs which can grip the bottom edgesof the floor tiles 20 through friction alone. This may be necessary, forinstance, in cases where the concrete or asphalt may be in a poor stateof repair, and thus would be unsuitable to support an overlaymentdirectly, but would also be prohibitively expensive to remove anddispose of before installing the new flooring system.

In one aspect of the modular flooring system, both the sidewalls 26 andthe perimeter-defining support ribs 53 running underneath and parallelto the outer edges or sidewalls 26 of the floor tile 20 can extend allthe way to the ground surface, so as to provide maximum support alongthe outer perimeter edges of each floor tile 20. In another aspect ofthe modular flooring system, however, the perimeter-defining supportribs 53 can be set-back a distance from the sidewalls. This set-back canprovide more space directly underneath the outer edges and secondconnection interface for shifting or displacement of the ground surface,as well as lift the bottom edge of the sidewalls 26 a distance above theground surface. Additional cavities 51 and 52 are formed near the corner22 of the floor tile 20 and are configured to engage with a bridgeconnector 200. In one aspect of the invention, cavity 51 is configuredto provide an interference fit or “press fit” with the bridge connector200 and cavity 52 is configured to provide a clearance fit with thebridge connector 200.

With reference now to FIGS. 8 through 13, a bridge connector 200 isdisclosed providing a connection system that is usable with the cornerconnection system used with bridge connector 100. That is, bridgeconnector 200 may be used on the same corner 22 of floor tile 20 as thebridge connector 100. In accordance with one aspect of the technology,bridge connector 200 comprises a top member 210 and bottom member 240configured to mate with one another about a top and bottom portion,respectively, of the corner 22 of tile 20. In one aspect of thetechnology, the top member 210 comprises a plate having a center body211 with four arms 212 extending laterally outward from the center body211. The length of the arms 212 are sized to approximate the areadefined by top of T-shaped aperture 40 and corresponding side of theL-shaped aperture 46. However, in one aspect, the arms 212 are slightlysmaller than that area to allow for some movement of the bridgeconnector 200.

A plurality of skirts 213 extend downward from the corners 214 ofintersecting arms 212. The skirts 213 are generally L-shaped and extenddownward from adjacent arms 212. When disposed on a top portion ofcorner 22 of tile 20, the skirts 213 are configured to mate withL-shaped aperture 46 and arms 212 are configured to be seated within thearea defined by corner 22 that is lower in elevation than the topsurface 30 of tile 20. That is, a bottom portion of the top member 210rests on the top of the corner 22, including 42 a and 42 b. In oneaspect of the technology, the L-shaped aperture 46 is approximately 0.25inches wide. The skirts 213 intended to mate with the L-shaped aperture46 are approximately 0.0625 inches wide. In this manner, a certainamount of lateral movement is allowed to accommodate movement of thecorner 22 of the tile 20 when subject to extreme loads to minimizeplastic deformation of the tile 20 or the bridge connector 200. However,in one aspect of the technology, the width of the L-shaped aperture 46and the width of the skirt 213 are substantially similar. An aperture216 is disposed within the center of the top plate 210 extending throughstem 217. The aperture 216 and stem 217 are configured to receive afastening member 218 therethrough for connection with the bottom member240. A nut is molded into the bottom plate 240 that mates with fastener218.

In one aspect of the technology, the bottom member 240 comprises a platehaving four upright posts 241 a and 241 b configured to mate withcavities 51 or 52 of tile 20. Upright posts 241 a are located near theexterior edge 242 of bottom member 240 and are located so as to matewith cavity 52. The outer perimeter of upright post 241 a is less thanthe inner perimeter of the cavity 52 such that when disposed within thecavity 52, upright post 241 a creates a clearance fit or a loose fitallowing lateral movement of the upright post 241 a within cavity 52.Upright post 241 b is located near the center of bottom member 240 andis located so as to mate with cavity 51. The outer perimeter of uprightpost 241 b is similar to or slightly larger than the inner perimeter ofcavity 51. In this manner, when upright post 241 b is disposed withincavity 51, a press fit or tight fit is created such that there is littleto no lateral movement of upright post 241 b within cavity 51. In oneaspect of the technology, a top portion of upright post 241 b is taperedinwardly to assist in placement of the post 241 b within cavity 51.

A stem 245 is disposed within the center of the bottom member 240adapted to receive the fastener 218 therein to fasten the top member 210and bottom member 240 together. A plurality of guide members 246 aredisposed about the bottom of stem 245 and are arranged about the bottomof stem 245 to provide an area where the corner 22 of tile 20 may beseated. A slot 244 is disposed within the sidewall of each upright post241 b allowing the sidewalls to flex inwardly to accommodate placementof the upright post 241 b within cavity 51. With upright post 241 aforming a clearance fit and upright posts 241 b forming a press fit, aplurality of four tiles 20 coupled at a common corner by bridgeconnector 200 have vertical and lateral give when subjected to extremeloads. In an assembled flooring system coupled together with bridgeconnector 200, extreme loads placed on the tiles 20 may deform thesubsurface terrain. The resulting deformation may place extreme strainon the tile connection mechanisms resulting in failure of the connectionmechanism or plastic deformation of the tiles 20 themselves.

While the example shown in the attached figures illustrates one aspectwhere three of the posts are designed for a clearance fit and one postis designed for a press fit, it is understood that any number ofcombinations of press fit and clearance fit posts can be used herein.For example, three upright posts may be configured to be press fit andone post may be configured to a clearance fit as suits a particularapplication. Moreover, two upright posts may be configured to be pressfit and two may be configured for a clearance fit. The two postsconfigured for clearance fit may be adjacent or may be orienteddiagonally about the bottom of the bridge connector. Likewise, the twoposts configured for a press fit may be adjacent or may be orienteddiagonally. In one aspect of the technology, the posts configured for aclearance fit have a length sized to approximate the depth of cavity 52.Because the posts 241 a are intended to move about within cavity 52, theposts 241 a are relatively longer to minimize the possibility that thepost becomes dislodged from cavity 52 during an event where the corner22 is subject to extreme deformation.

In one aspect of the technology, tiles 20 are coupled together in asingle panel 280 comprising four tiles 20 as shown in FIG. 7. The tiles20 are coupled at a common corner using bridge connector 200 so as tosupport the top and bottom portion of the common corner. A hoist 290with four arms 291 is used to transport panel 280 by connecting withholes 31 in the top surface 30 of the tiles 20. In another aspect of theinvention, a single panel comprising ten interconnected tiles is usedfor transportation of the flooring system. In this aspect, the panel oftiles 20 comprises ten tiles disposed in a five-tile-by-two-tilearrangement or twenty tiles in a four-tile-by-five-tile arrangement.Common corners are bolted or riveted together and intended to maintainthe panels in a semi-permanent arrangement. The fasteners extend throughlateral holes that permit lateral movement from thermal expansion anduse of the tiles while preventing dislocation or separation of thepanels in an upward or downward direction. During construction of aflooring system using the panels, adjacent sides of different panels arevertically coupled through complementary tab 24 and cut-out 25 portionsof the tile 20.

Common corners between adjacent panels are coupled together using eitherthe bridge connector 100 or bridge connector 200 as suits a particularpurpose. In one aspect, bridge connector 100 is used when removal of asingle top piece is desired to unlock corners. For example, when theduration of the connection is expected to be relatively shorter, theload placed on the flooring system is relatively small, and/or thepotential deformation of the flooring system due to lack of compactionor density of the subsurface is relatively low. In contrast, bridgeconnector 200 is used, for example, when the duration of the connectionis expected to be longer, the load placed on the flooring system isrelatively large, and/or the potential deformation of the flooringsystem due to lack of compaction or density of the subsurface isrelatively high. Bridge connectors 100 and 200 may be used in the sameflooring system to account for variations in subsurface conditions overthe extent of the floor. For example, if one area is expected to bearsignificant loads, but other areas of the same floor are expected tobear smaller loads, different connection bridges are used in thedifferent areas. Likewise, if one area is less compact than another,different connection bridges are used to accommodate the varyingsubsurface terrain.

The foregoing detailed description describes the technology withreference to specific exemplary aspects. However, it will be appreciatedthat various modifications and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present technology as set forth in the appendedclaims. The detailed description and accompanying drawings are to beregarded as merely illustrative, rather than as restrictive, and allsuch modifications or changes, if any, are intended to fall within thescope of the present technology as described and set forth herein.

More specifically, while illustrative exemplary aspects of thetechnology have been described herein, the present technology is notlimited to these aspects, but includes any and all aspects havingmodifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated bythose in the art based on the foregoing detailed description. Thelimitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on thelanguage employed in the claims and not limited to examples described inthe foregoing detailed description or during the prosecution of theapplication, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. Forexample, in the present disclosure, the term “preferably” isnon-exclusive where it is intended to mean “preferably, but not limitedto.” Any steps recited in any method or process claims may be executedin any order and are not limited to the order presented in the claims.Means-plus-function or step-plus-function limitations will only beemployed where for a specific claim limitation all of the followingconditions are present in that limitation: a) “means for” or “step for”is expressly recited; and b) a corresponding function is expresslyrecited. The structure, material or acts that support themeans-plus-function are expressly recited in the description herein.Accordingly, the scope of the technology should be determined solely bythe appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by thedescriptions and examples given above.

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled)
 5. (canceled) 6.(canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled) 11.(canceled)
 12. A modular tile assembly, comprising: a plurality of fourmodular tiles each comprising a substantially rigid top surfacesupported above a ground surface by an understructure, wherein the rigidtop surface is defined by sidewalls forming an outer perimeter and fourcorners, wherein each of the four modular tiles is disposed adjacent oneanother at common adjoining corners; wherein a bottom side of each ofthe four modular tiles comprises at least first and second cavitiesdisposed about the corner of each tile, wherein each of the cavities arecircumscribed by a wall; a bridge connector disposed about the commonadjoining corners of the plurality of four modular tiles, the bridgeconnector comprising a top plate coupled to a bottom plate wherein thetop plate is disposed about a top surface of each tile and the bottomplate is disposed about a bottom surface of each tile; and wherein thebottom plate comprises four upright posts, wherein each post isconfigured to mate with at least one of the first and second cavitiesdisposed about the corner of each of the tiles.
 13. The modular tileassembly of claim 12, wherein at least one of the four posts of thebottom plate is configured to press-fit into the first cavity of one ofthe tiles.
 14. The modular tile assembly of claim 13, wherein the atleast one of the four posts of the bottom plate configured to press-fitinto the first cavity has an outer width that is larger than acorresponding inner width of the first cavity.
 15. The modular tileassembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the four postscomprises a plurality of vertical slots disposed about a distal end ofthe post.
 16. The modular tile assembly of claim 14, wherein at leastone of the other four posts has an outer width that is less than aninner width of the second cavity.
 17. The modular tile assembly of claim12, wherein the top plate of the bridge connector is shaped toapproximate a cross having an aperture disposed within a center of thecross and wherein the bottom plate comprises an aperture having a centerthat is collinear with a center of the aperture of the top plate. 18.(canceled)
 19. (canceled)
 20. (canceled)
 21. A modular tile assembly,comprising: a plurality of four modular tiles each comprising asubstantially rigid top surface supported above a ground surface by anunderstructure, wherein the rigid top surface is defined by sidewallsforming an outer perimeter and four corners, wherein each of the fourmodular tiles is disposed adjacent one another at common adjoiningcorners; wherein a bottom side of each of the four modular tilescomprises at least first and second cavities disposed about each cornerof each of the four modular tiles; a bridge connector disposed about thecommon adjoining corners of the plurality of four modular tiles, thebridge connector comprising a top plate coupled to a bottom platewherein the top plate is disposed about a top surface of the commonadjoining corners and the bottom plate is disposed about a bottomsurface of the common adjoining corners; and wherein the bottom platecomprises four upright posts, wherein each post extends upward from thebottom plate and is configured to mate with at least one of the firstand second cavities disposed about the corners of each of the tiles andwherein a first of the four upright posts is configured to press-fitinto a first cavity of one of the four tiles and a second of the fourupright posts is configured to clearance-fit into a second cavity of oneof the other of the four tiles.
 22. The modular tile assembly of claim21, wherein at least two of the four upright posts are disposed nearcorners of the bottom plate.
 23. The modular tile assembly of claim 22,wherein at least one of the four upright posts is disposed nearer thecenter of the bottom plate relative to the at least two upright postsdisposed near the corners of the bottom plate.
 24. The modular tileassembly of claim 23, wherein the at least one upright post disposednearer the center of the bottom plate relative to the at least twoupright posts disposed near the corners of the bottom plate has a heightless than the at least two upright posts and a greater width than the atleast two upright posts.
 25. The modular tile assembly of claim 23,wherein the at least one upright post disposed nearer the center of thebottom plate relative to the at least two upright posts disposed nearthe corners of the bottom plate is configured to press-fit into thefirst cavity of one of the four tiles.
 26. The modular tile assembly ofclaim 23, wherein the at least two upright posts disposed near thecorners of the bottom plate are configured to clearance-fit into thesecond cavity of two of the four tiles.
 27. The modular tile assembly ofclaim 23, wherein the at least two upright posts disposed near thecorners of the bottom plate have a length that is greater than the atleast one upright post disposed nearer the center of the bottom plate.28. The modular tile assembly of claim 21, wherein the center of thefirst cavity and the center of the second cavity are collinear with oneanother and with a corner of the tile.
 29. The modular tile assembly ofclaim 21, wherein the first cavity has a width smaller than the secondcavity.
 30. A modular tile assembly, comprising: a plurality of fourmodular tiles each comprising a substantially rigid top surfacesupported above a ground surface by an understructure, wherein the rigidtop surface is defined by sidewalls forming an outer perimeter and fourcorners, wherein each of the four modular tiles is disposed adjacent oneanother at common adjoining corners, wherein each of the four modulartiles comprises an L-shaped aperture disposed about the corner of thetile and passing through the corner of the tile; wherein a bottom sideof each of the four modular tiles comprises at least first and secondcavities disposed about each corner of each of the four modular tiles; abridge connector disposed about the common adjoining corners of theplurality of four modular tiles, the bridge connector comprising a topplate coupled to a bottom plate wherein the top plate is disposed abouta top surface of the common adjoining corners and the bottom plate isdisposed about a bottom surface of the common adjoining corners; whereinthe bottom plate comprises four upright posts, wherein each post extendsupward from the bottom plate and is configured to mate with at least oneof the first and second cavities disposed about the corners of thetiles; and wherein the top plate comprises a plurality of intersectingarms and a plurality of skirts extending downward from the corners ofthe intersecting arms, and wherein the plurality of skirts areconfigured to mate with L-shaped apertures disposed in each of thetiles.
 31. The modular tile assembly of claim 30, wherein the width ofthe L-shaped apertures is less than the width of the skirts.